Legend sat there sweating through his shirt now, and I could see him fighting for his life.
The next level hit, and he looked straight at Aria again. “I owe you.”
Aria stood up clapping. “Yes, you do!”
Then Legend finally nodded at the planner. “I’m done. I’m done.”
That left me by myself.
I wasn’t even trying to win at first. But sitting there with that pain hitting in waves, all I could think about was Ava carrying my son and eventually having to push him into this world forreal. So, I stayed in the chair longer than I needed to, jaw tight, hands gripping the sides, letting it hit me.
The planner finally shut it off and said, “Okay, we have a winner!”
The room clapped and cheered. Off to the side, I could see Ava clapping as well, and she was wearing a smile, like she was proud of me, not of winning the game, but for being truly present.
After that, people started floating back toward the bar, dessert table, and seating. The deejay turned the music back up. More pictures were taken. I kept doing shit I probably would’ve never done at one of these events before. I carried food for Ava. I got her water when I saw her glass low. I stayed close enough that if she looked like she needed something, I was already there before she asked.
I peeped the family watching me with looks of both shock and appreciation. I hadn’t said Ava was mine out loud yet, but my actions were already speaking for me.
At one point, I caught her wincing near the gift table with one hand pressed to her lower back.
I went straight to her. “What’s wrong?”
“My back,” she admitted, shifting her weight. “He’s heavy.”
I came up behind her and slid my arms under her belly.
“What are you doing?” she asked, startled.
“Hold on.”
Then I lifted her stomach just enough to take some of the pressure off her back.
The second the weight was lifted, Ava let out a loud sigh of relief. Her whole body relaxed against mine.
“Oh my God,” she moaned. “That feelssogood.”
I smiled against the side of her hair. “Yeah?”
“Yes.” She turned her head to look up at me. “Where did you even learn this?”
I kept holding her there. “Saw it online.”
“You’ve been doing research?”
I admitted with a smile, “A little.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and I had to fight the urge to kiss her then and there in front of everybody.
Instead, I just held her up a little longer while the family pretended not to watch.
There was no going back for me. I hadn’t claimed her with words yet. But by then, everybody in that room could already see it. She and that baby were my priority.
Saint stood near the dessert table looking personally offended as he stared at the carrot cake he’d made Ava. “Aye! Why the fuck ain’t nobody really eat my cake?”
Zahra, who was holding Czar sitting at a nearby table, groaned, “Oh my God. Would somebodypleaseeat this nigga’s cake?”
Saint scowled at her. “Whoa.Pause. Baby, don’t say it like that. That sounds gay.”
